When Colorado voters passed a ballot measure in 2012 legalizing marijuana for recreational use, Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) was in the minority voting no. But two years later, eight months into the legalization experiment, Hickenlooper says he’s pleased with the way his state has handled voters’ wishes.

““I think [state regulators have] done a pretty good job. Not perfect, but all things considered, I think they’ve done a very good job,” he said in an interview in his office at the state Capitol. “I’m a constant-improvement person, so I always see ways to make things better.”

State officials are continuing to fine-tune regulations on the nascent cannabis industry. This month, the Department of Revenue issued draft rules that would limit the amount of THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana, to 10 milligrams from 100 milligrams in serving sizes of edible pot products. The rules would also require child-proof packaging and clear labels identifying the product inside as containing THC.

State legislators passed a law in May creating a task force to propose the rules on edibles after an increase in the number of children visiting emergency rooms after ingesting edible marijuana products.

Tax revenue from legal marijuana sales has fallen short of expectations, though. A recent study by the Department of Revenue found that Colorado earned about $12 million from marijuana sales through the first half of the year, just over a third of the $33 million analysts expected.

But those initial estimates, Hickenlooper said, missed because budget analysts had no comparison.

“It was a guess. No one’s ever done it before. It was a wild guess, and every time we said it, we said, ‘We have no data,’ ” he said. “You’re creating a regulatory environment out of whole cloth.”

The state is setting that money aside for any unintended consequences, and Hickenlooper says he remains concerned that minors might get access to marijuana.

““We were very careful to take the revenue that’s there and say we want to hold this money. If there are negative consequences as a result of legalizing marijuana, we want to make sure we have the money to deal with it,” Hickenlooper said. “This is going to be one of the great social experiments of the 21st century, but we have to make sure that these kids aren’t guinea pigs, that we have the resources necessary so that if the kids do fall off the tracks, we have the resources necessary.”

Reid Wilson covers state politics and policy for the Washington Post’s GovBeat blog. He’s a former editor in chief of The Hotline, the premier tip sheet on campaigns and elections, and he’s a complete political junkie.

Teen marijuana use down in Colo.

DENVER – Teen marijuana use has declined since retail legalization was backed by voters in 2012, according to statistics released Thursday by state health officials.

Thirty-day marijuana use fell from 22 percent in 2011 to 20 percent in 2013, and lifetime use declined from 39 percent to 37 percent during the same two years, according to the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey released by the Department of Public Health and Environment.

“Regulating marijuana is working in Colorado. The drop in teen use reflects the fact that state and local authorities have far more control over marijuana than ever before,” said Mason Tvert, a proponent of Amendment 64, which legalized recreational marijuana, and spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project. “Hopefully, elected officials and voters in other states are paying attention.”

Teen use in Colorado dropped nearly 5 points since 2009, when hundreds of medical marijuana stores began opening throughout Colorado. The state began regulating medical marijuana in 2010.

Durango is set to implement retail marijuana this fall.

Dr. Christian Thurstone, a specialist in child and adolescent and addictions psychiatry, will speak Friday at the Community Cannabis Forum in Durango at Miller Middle School. Thurstone is expected to present on the impacts of marijuana on the adolescent brain and discuss the implications of Colorado laws.

The trend in Colorado appears to debunk theories that marijuana legalization and normalization would lead to a spike in teen use, though retail marijuana opened for business in Colorado only in January.

Nationwide, the rate of current teen marijuana use increased from 20.8 percent in 2009 to 23.1 percent in 2011 and 23.4 percent in 2013, according to a report released in June by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The national rate of lifetime use increased from 36.8 percent in 2009 to 39.9 percent in 2011 and 40.7 percent in 2013.

But in Colorado, where marijuana has seen a popularization and commercialization, teens appear to be moving away from the drug.

“As the culture normalizes cannabis into it, what’s happening is that adults are setting a good example of cannabis use, and kids are finding it kind of boring,” said Shawn Coleman, a Colorado marijuana lobbyist.

But state officials point out that the percentage of students who perceive a moderate or great risk from marijuana use declined from 58 percent in 2011 to 54 percent in 2013. They continue to worry that normalization of marijuana use in Colorado could lead to more young people trying it.

Officials also point out that none of the usage declines represents a “statistically significant” drop since the data is based on a sample with a margin of error.

“If we want Colorado to be the healthiest state in the nation, then we need to make sure our youngest citizens understand the risks of using potentially harmful substances,” said Dr. Larry Wolk, executive director and chief medical officer for the state health department. “Later this month, we’ll launch a youth-prevention campaign that encourages kids not to risk damaging their growing brains by experimenting with marijuana.”

Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, has been very concerned with the marijuana legalization experiment in Colorado, especially the impact on young minds. A grant in partnership with the city of Denver and the attorney general’s office has funded a campaign in which the symbolism of a rat cage is employed with the message: “Don’t be a lab rat.”

The state also has allocated $16.4 million in marijuana tax cash fund expenditures for education.

“We know what works to protect young people from unhealthy substances,” Wolk said. “As with tobacco, youth education prevention campaigns will help ensure adult legalization of marijuana in Colorado does not impact the health of Colorado kids.”

He said that Colorado must continue to address the potential risks of using marijuana.

Marijuana Jobs at All-Time High

The US marijuana industry is developing quicker than any other industry. The rapid growth is generating hundreds of new jobs.

The marijuana industry is predicted to grow by 64 percent, to over $2 billion, in 2014. Reports also predict that 14 more states will likely legalize marijuana for adult recreational use by 2018, potentially creating upwards of a $10 billion marijuana industry in the United States.

CannabisJobs.US provides a place for marijuana-related businesses to post available marijuana jobs and browse job-seekers’ resumes; while, job-seekers can browse and directly apply for marijuana jobs, as well as post their resumes.

CannabisJobs.US does not charge to post jobs, apply for jobs or look for jobs. The most popular marijuana jobs currently offered in the marijuana industry are with marijuana dispensaries: budtenders, cultivation experts, management, security, inventory and packaging, and various administrative positions.

Presently, marijuana jobs are in the highest demand in Colorado, California, Washington and Arizona, where marijuana industries are booming. However, with new states legalizing medical marijuana expecatations are high for states like Florida, Minnesota and others.

Check out CannabisJobs.US where people come to connect, get hired and find opportunities in the Cannabis Industry, Medical Marijuana Industry.

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1,000-2,000 New Marijuana Jobs in Colorado

Colorado’s cannabis industry has added roughly 1,000 to 2,000 new cannabis jobs since recreational sales began on Jan. 1, according to a local industry organization.

The Marijuana Industry Group (MIG) estimates that 10,000 workers in the state are directly involved with cannabis, with 10% to 20% of them joining the industry in the last five months. The estimates include those employed by dispensaries, retail stores, cultivation sites and infused products companies but not the thousands of workers who support the industry, such as lawyers, real estate professionals and consultants.
The job growth reflects the success of Colorado’s recreational cannabis market. Retail marijuana stores in the state have generated nearly $50 million in sales through March, with revenue increasing each month this year. Medical marijuana sales have held steady as well.

Most of the job growth has come on the recreational side, though the medical cannabis industry still employs more workers overall.

Comments Off on Five Women in Weed Changing the Perception of Medical Marijuana

Five Women in Weed Changing the Perception of Pot

The marijuana industry has (justifiably) come under fire for being a boys club; and while many emerging canna-businesses are led by male executives, if you look closer, you’ll see that women have begun to gain significant traction.

A Co-Vice Chair of the NORML Women’s Alliance and staunch activist, Diane and co-founder Vanessa Waltz launchedLadybud.com in April of 2013 to help lead the charge for women cannabis activism. Ladybud approaches marijuana news from a female perspective and posts in-depth, on-point articles highlighting women’s unique positioning and experiences in the business. Outspoken activists and warriors for the woman-centered side of weed, their site motto is ‘classing up the joint’ and they continue to embody that motto daily.

2. Dr. Dina

Medical cannabis consultant for Snoop Lion, 2 Chainz and former prohibitionist, Dr. Dina has brought health and healing by way of facilitating the opening of a doctor’s office in LA for weed patients after a close friend was diagnosed with testicular cancer and unable to keep food and pills down without the aid of pot. A marijuana expert for Good Day LA and rumored to be the inspiration for the main character of the popular television series Weeds, Dr. Dina is well on her way to being the “PR-ready face of the medical marijuana movement”.

Sabrina, founder of the NORML Women’s Alliance, organizes female-focused campaigns and fundraisers in addition to managing a large database of volunteer women. She has been quoted in several major publications and a featured guest on radio programs and TV affiliates. She also speaks regularly at drug reform conferences as well as student groups and state legislators on marijuana issues affecting women.

Dr. Bonni, pediatrician and medical director of Ghost Group (which manages Weedmaps.com), has long been an advocate of medical marijuana and legalization, in addition to careful testing of strains for safety, potency and effectiveness. A steadfast champion of marijuana as medicine, Dr. Bonni regularly hosts seminars and gives speeches informing families about marijuana’s ability to help patients cope with diseases like epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and cancer.

5. Senator Liz Krueger

Living proof that politicians can support pot, Senator Liz Krueger pushes for the Empire State’s legalization with more fervor than any other politician in New York. An unexpected proponent of marijuana legalization/taxation in New York, Liz Kruegerhas introduced legislation that would allow New Yorkers to grow their own plants, buy, sell and regulate cannabis like alcohol. Though no longer a smoker herself, Krueger has become a champion for legalization through virtue of her commitment to righting the wrongs visited upon otherwise law-abiding citizens as a result of overbearing and unjust laws that continue to unfairly target people of color.

Why didn’t you already know about these people?

The visibility, prominence and participation of women in the industry has been stigmatized by groups like the 420 Nurses, Ganja Girls and the like, which overtly characterize women in weed as sex symbols. As the women listed above (and more) demonstrate, however, there are many strong, competent female voices and entrepreneurs making waves, breaking cultural norms and proving that women, too, can run a successful cannabusiness and contribute to the industry and cause.

Thanks to their efforts, they’re opening the doors of dank for women to follow suit and help transform the modern marijuana industry.

Colorado Marijuana News 2014 – Both the State of Colorado and City of Denver tourist agencies have resisted the temptation to use marijuana as a way to lure visitors to the area, despite mainstream media pot coverage that’s essentially free advertising. It seems their non-approach isn’t working.

Against that backdrop comes word that hotel searches for Denver on 4/20 weekend are up 73 percent from this time last year — and a national cannabis activist thinks the digits might be even higher if officials weren’t so shy about embracing weed.

According to a release from Hotels.com, “Denver and the state of Colorado have seen a spike in travel interest since the sale of recreational marijuana was legalized to anyone 21 or older at the start of the year…. Denver has seen a 25 percent increase in hotel searches in the first three months of the year compared to 2013.”

The effect of marijuana legalization on tourism is depicted in the following Hotels.com graphic: